It took 20 hours by train to travel from Delhi to Jaisalmer the most western town in Rajasthan. Jaisalmer is less than 200 kilometers from Pakistan and it’s what I imagine the Middle East to be like. The arid land is flat and barren with brittle bushes, trees and lots of sand. The temperature got noticeably hotter and drier and it was remarkable seeing sporadic signs of human life appearing out of the desert in the form of a small hut or a man leading a herd of skinny sheep.
Jaisalmer is a magnificent city and well worth the long journey. Men clad in bright turbans with fantastic moustaches that curl up on the ends lead camels pulling wagons down the tiny streets. The women’s saris 
look even more astonishing against the dull desert backdrop and watching over the city is a huge fort that looks like a giant sand castle. Everyday I would roam around the alleyways losing
myself in the forts’ daily life and watch the sunset from a rooftop restaurant. It was wonderful seeing the muted colors of the sandstone fort and city come to life as all the buildings turn a brilliant gold color in the late day sun.
My main purpose for being in Jaisalmer was to go on a camel safari. My 4-day tour started with a 60-kilometer jeep 
drive out into the desert where our camels were waiting. I was assigned to a large male camel named Cecilia. Cecilia and I had a very trying relationship at first. The problem was I was under the impression that because I was holding the reins it meant that I was in control but that thought process was all wrong so once I gave up and let him do what ever he wanted to we got along just fine.
Our days were spent riding through the desert and stopping periodically at tiny villages made up of softly curved homes built of mud and sandstone. Here the local children would attack like a swarm of angry bees pulling, prodding and grabbing at us demanding rupees, pens and chocolate. After a few villages of the same aggressive attention my nerves were pretty frayed. Not only were the children overwhelming but instead of learning anything about the places we were visiting our “guides” would disappear to have chai and smoke cigarettes instead of helping us communicate or telling us something interesting about the village.
By the third day I got fed up at the lack of interaction. A British couple and I were just sitting around at one of these tiny desert abodes exchanging awkward glances with the nice family – So I attempted to engage the family’s little boy by teaching him how to jump rope with a lead rope they use for their cows. He wasn’t too keen on 
trying it for himself but seemed to enjoy the little show I put on and I even received applause from him and his grandmother. When that didn’t work I grabbed a small wheel and started rolling it back and forth to him, which made him laugh like it was the best thing he had ever done. I got him so wound up he was drunk with little kid laughter and could barely stand up let alone walk straight. This boy had the most amazing laugh and sweetest little smile with perfectly aligned corn kernel teeth… The 20 minutes I spent with him acting like a goof was probably my favorite part of the whole safari.
We cooked chapatti, rice and vegetables every day over and open fire and slept on the sand dunes underneath the stars. Sleeping out in the open was incredibly peaceful and serene except for the first night when it felt like I was sleeping in a sandstorm and woke up with a mouthful of sand. I saw 17 shooting stars and made wishes on them all.
I’m not sure why I thought it would be fun straddling a big, cranky, farting animal for four days but I’m glad I got the experience. Who knows when I will get another opportunity to race a couple of British guys through the desert on the back of a camel? But I am also not sure why it seems like I always have to go overboard with my little excursions. At first I thought 4 days was a reasonable amount of time out in the desert only to find out later that most people usually only go for a one-night safari. I blame my parents for my inability to ever take the easy route. If they aren’t out pushing the envelope in some way shape or form they aren’t happy and it seems like this trait has rubbed off on me… maybe a little too much.
